 1 The men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh saying, Not one of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife. 2 The people came to the house of God and stayed there until evening before God, and lifted up their voice and wept grievously, 3 and said, O Lord God of Israel, Why has this happened in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel? 4 On the next day the people rose early and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. 5 The children of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that did not come up with the congregation to the Lord? For they had made a great oath concerning him who did not come up to the Lord to Mizpeh saying, He shall surely be put to death. 6 The children of Israel repented for Benjamin their brother and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. 7 What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since we have sworn by the Lord that we will not give them of our daughters for wives? 8 They said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that did not come up to Mizpeh to the Lord? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabeshgilead to the assembly. 9 For the people were numbered, and behold, none of the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead were there. 10 The congregation sent there 12,000 men of the most valiant, and commanded them saying, Go, and you shall strike the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead with the sword, with the women and the children. 11 This is the thing that you shall do. You shall utterly destroy every male and every woman who has lain with man. 12 They found among the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead 400 young virgins who had known no man by lying with any male. They brought them to the camp to Shiloh that is in the land of Canaan. 13 The whole congregation sent to speak to the children of Benjamin who were in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably to them. 14 Benjamin came again at that time. They gave them wives whom they had saved alive, of the women of Jabeshgilead. And yet so they were not enough for them. 15 The people repented for Benjamin because the Lord had made a break in the tribes of Israel. 16 The elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin? 17 They said, There must be an inheritance for those of Benjamin who have escaped, so that a tribe may not be destroyed out of Israel. 18 However, we may not give them wives from our daughters. For the children of Israel have sworn saying, Cursed are those who give a wife to Benjamin. 19 Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the Lord in Shiloh yearly on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. 20 They commanded the children of Benjamin saying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards, 21 and see, and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then you come out of the vineyards and catch you a wife for every man from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 22 When their fathers or their brothers come to us to complain, we will say to them, Be favorable to them for our sakes, because we did not reserve each man a wife in the war. For if you did not give to them at this time, you would be guilty. 23 The children of Benjamin did so and took wives according to their number from those who danced, whom they caught. Then they returned to their inheritance, repaired the cities, and lived in them. 24 The children of Israel departed from there at that time, each man to his tribe and to his family. They left from there every man to his inheritance. 25 In those days there was no king in Israel. Every man did the right in his own eyes.
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